Water-elevator.



H. J. LAWRENCE.

WATER ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 28, 1916.

Patented July 3, 1917.

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H. J. LAWRENCE. WATER ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 28, IBIS.

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WATER-ELEVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July '3, 11.91%.

Application filed October 28, 1916. Serial No. 128,286.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY J. LAWRENCE, a citizen of the United. States, residing at Palo Verde, in the county of Imperial and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water- Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to water elevators and has for its object the provision of a simple mechanism whereby water from a rapidly flowing stream may be transferred automatically to an irrigating ditch or deposited upon the shore of the stream so that the silt or other earthy matter contained in the water may be utilized to build a dam or increase the height of the shore of the stream.

The invention also seeks to provide novel means whereby the water transferring members will be free to take up the water and impart power to the wheel and also provide simple means for dumping said water-receiving member at the desired point.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and-will be hereinafter fully described, the novel features being subsequently particularly pointed out in the claims following the detailed description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan View of a water wheel embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in section and partly in side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective View showing the manner of dumping the bucket.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a v foundation 1 which may be of any suitable construction and will be located adjacent the bank of a running stream, indicated at 2. Upon the said foundation 1, I provide a member 3 which constitutes a base plate to receive the lower end of an inclined post at upon which the wheel is mounted and about which the wheel is adapted to be rotated. To the upper end of the post a, I secure guywires 5 in any desired manner and the said guy-wires extend to anchors 6 embedded in the ground at a proper distance from the post, as will be readily understood. Upon the post I secure a collar or other support 7 upon which rests the hub of the wheel consisting of upper and lower plates 8 between and to which the inner ends of the spokes or radial arms 9 are rigidly secured. The

outer ends of the said spokes or arms are connected by an annular brace 10 and struts 11 extend from the outer ends of the respective spokes or radial arms to a head 12 which is fitted upon the post, as shown. As illustrated in the accompanying drawings. the head 12 and the collar or support 7 are secured to the post I by set screws 13 and the upper end of the post is stepped into a cap 14L to which the guy-wires 5 are secured, the lower end of the post having a stepped bearing in the base plate 3.

On the under side of each spoke 9, at the outer end of the same, is an eye 15 in which is loosely engaged a link 16 having a bail 1'7 loosely suspended in its lower end. tween the extremities of the bail 17 a. bucket 18 is pivoted, the said bucket being preferably of a conical form and having its pointed end remote from the bail.

Upon the foundation 1 at that side of the same more remote from the stream 2, I erect a post or stake 19 to the upper end of which is secured a dumping device 20. This dumping device may be of any convenient form and is illustrated as consisting of a U-shaped bar having one extremity secured to the upper end of the post and being disposed to extend horizontally from the post toward a ditch 21 designed to carry the water to a field to be irrigated. The open end of the dumping device 20 is directed down stream and the closed end thereof is provided on its inner face with a cushion or buffer 22 of rubber or any other suitable material.

It is thought the operation of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. It will be readily noted that the post 4 is inclined so that it leans toward the stream 2 and, consequently, the wheel is tilted so that as the spokes successively reach a point overhanging the stream, the buckets carried thereby will be brought to the surface of the water and will be at once turned down stream so that their open ends will be opposed to the current. Water will then, of course, at once flow into and fill the buckets and the force of the current will carry the buckets gen erally down stream so that a rotary move ment will be imparted to the wheel. The rotation of the wheel will, of course, carry the bucket against the bank of the stream and will thereby bring the same into a verti cal position; The continued operation of the wheel will, of course, cause the spokes or radial arms to rise so that the buckets will be lifted from the ground and the quantity of water permitted to escape therefrom consequently minimized. The continued ro tation of the wheel and consequent travel of the bucket will carry the bucket between the sides of the dumping device 20 and against the closed end of the same whereupon the bucket will be swung about its pivotal con nection with the bail 17 and tilted as it rides over the closed end of the device 20 whereby its contents will be discharged into the ditch 21.

If desired a brake may be placed upon the device so as to hold it against movement when desired but ordinarily it will be permitted to operate until the desired work has been accomplished or the machine is worn out. By the use of my improved water wheel, an extensive system of irrigating ditches may be readily and rapidly supplied with water and if the river or other flowing stream contains a large amount of silt or soil in suspension, the dumping of the buckets will soon build up an extensive wall or levee so thatthe stream may be made to itself do the work of preventing damaging overflows. It is, of course, obvious that a band pulley or other form of gear may be secured upon the post 4 and the power of the stream thereby utilized to drive machinery.

The device is exceedingly simple in the construction and arrangement of its parts and may be very readily built wherever desired at a low cost. The buckets are freely and flexibly suspended from the spokes of the wheel'so that they will not tend to tilt in any way and choke the operation.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. Mechanism for the purposes set forth comprising a tilted wheel, and buckets suspended from said wheel in position to be at times immersed in a flowing stream, said buckets being freely movable in all directions.

2. Mechanism for the purposes set forth comprising a tilted wheel, a plurality of buckets freely suspended from said wheel 7 and adapted to take up water from and be actuated by a flowing stream, and an open ended bracket disposed below the wheel in the path of the buckets with its openend presented to the buckets.

3. Mechanism for the purpose set forth comprising a tilted wheel, links suspended from said wheel, bails suspended from said links, and'buckets pivoted betweenthe extremities of said bails.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HENRY JONATHAN LAWRENCE. 1,. s]

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. G. 

